With every new item Epic adds to Fortnite: Battle Royale, the tactical variations increase – and so does the skill gap. For our author Robert, this is not good news: The average player is getting better to his chagrin. A report.
Fortnite is continually evolving: Fortnite: Battle Royale has been playable for about nine months. In the early days, self-built fortresses were considered the pinnacle of creativity, but tactical tricks and gameplay styles have become much more extensive over time.
Today, players storm enemy fortresses with shopping carts and impulse grenades, while rockets and remote explosives fly in all directions. The vertical gameplay has also been massively expanded with jetpacks and bounce pads.
I am particularly impressed when opponents can build stairs that are perfectly synchronized with reinforced walls – making them much harder to destroy. Players who prefer a stealthy playstyle, hiding a lot and attacking from ambush, find it significantly harder nowadays.
The bush camper is obsolete in Fortnite: Battle Royale
Build or die: I was never a big builder. I am able to build cover when I’m being shot at. I also tend to set up a base in the endgame to defend from above. However, I’m helpless against an aggressive player who attacks me at lightning speed.
In the beginning, there were only a limited repertoire of options to storm and smoke out enemy fortresses, but the game today offers plenty of tools for that.
There are still people hiding in bushes. However, their targets have become much more vigilant. Suspicious bushes are immediately targeted – those who do not build will lose. Specifically in the endgame, bush camping is no longer a promising strategy.
With each new item, the skill corridor widens – to the dismay of noobs
Skill is becoming increasingly important in Fortnite: The skill corridor describes the range of players with different abilities. If everyone only has access to the same weapon, the skill corridor is very small. With each new piece of equipment, the skill ceiling rises – that is, the potential upper limit.
The impulse grenade particularly influenced this skill ceiling, bringing tactical depth to the game both defensively and offensively. Players like Ninja, who master the new possibilities perfectly, push the skill limit ever higher.
But not only the upper end of the skill level is rising. Fortnite: Battle Royale has been playable for many months now – players have internalized the building system, mastered the trajectory of the sniper rifle, and become more vigilant. Therefore, the skill floor – that is, the lower end of the skill spectrum – has also improved significantly.
The consequence of the shifted player skills: Winning has become more difficult. In Season 3, I could still win about seven to eight percent of my solo games, but in the current Season 4, I have only two solo victories – after dozens of rounds completed. As an average player, the changed starting position could certainly pose potential for frustration.
New matchmaking system as a balance for the shifted skill levels?
It will continue like this: Let’s not kid ourselves – Epic will continue to expand the available arsenal, which makes strong players even better and leaves most players who cannot or do not want to adapt to the changes behind.
Matchmaking as a solution? This could lead to frustration and subsequently declining player numbers. This problem could be solved with an alternative matchmaking system. Currently, all players are thrown into a match regardless of their personal skill levels.
Thus, you encounter players who can be easily defeated – as well as the indestructible John Wicks, who make you dizzy and leave no chance.
The pros and cons of skill-based matchmaking are passionately debated time and again. Categorizing players based on their personal strengths sounds charming on paper – but it also carries risks, as the example of Destiny shows.
In Destiny, skill-based matchmaking only brought sweating: In Destiny, skill-based matchmaking was implemented in the second year, which caused a great deal of dissatisfaction. Because from that point on, players had to give their best in every match to succeed. Those who only wanted to test weapons or mess around were dismantled by the opposing team – frustration was the result.
Not all players want to give their all in every round to win.
Would Fortnite suffer the same fate? No, in Fortnite, chance often plays a deciding role. Who finds the better weapons at the beginning of a round? Who can influence recently ended gunfights and snag easy kills? Who has the luck of the safe zone on their side?
All these factors were only minimal in Destiny. Whether Epic is working on revising the matchmaking is unknown. Until then, you should pay attention to whether I am online – with me, you will have an easy game!
What do you think? Has Fortnite become harder – or am I just worse? Vote:
